Get Early Access

Security guard license lookup

Where to check a guard's license, state by state. Every link goes to the regulator's own site, and each entry says what you can search by and what to watch for in the result.

Nothing is sent to CertsDue. This page only links to each state's own lookup. We run no searches, and nothing you pick here leaves your browser. Last checked October 10, 2026.

Arizona

Security guard registration

Issued by Arizona Department of Public Safety, Licensing Unit

Public search

Open the DPS license status pagepsp.azdps.gov

Search by
Choose how to search: security guard, private investigator or agency license number; security guard or private investigator name; or agency name.
Good to know
  • DPS says a photocopy of a registration, or the ID card itself, is not proof that the registration is currently valid, and tells employers to check status in the portal.
  • DPS does not confirm a registration by email for applicants or employers, so the portal is the route.
  • DPS says its Licensing Unit moves to a new system this fall, so this address may change. If the link fails, start from the DPS licensing page.

California

Security guard registration (guard card)

Issued by Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS), Department of Consumer Affairs

Public search

Open DCA License Searchsearch.dca.ca.gov

Search by
Select a license type first (Security Guard for individuals, Private Patrol Operator for companies, Firearm Permit for permits), then narrow by details such as name, city or county.
Good to know
  • Each record shows whether the license is current, expired, or has been subject to discipline such as suspension or revocation.
  • If BSIS has renewed a registration but the new card has not arrived, the guard may keep working while waiting (Bus. & Prof. Code §7583.20), so the card in hand can show a past date. Check the online record.

Florida

Class D security officer license (Class G for firearms)

Issued by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), Division of Licensing

Public search

Open the FDACS individual searchlicensing.fdacs.gov

Agency and school search

Search by
Name (last name, first name, middle) or license number. Narrow with a search category such as D (security officer) or G (statewide firearms license), or by county.
Good to know
  • License numbers are the type letters plus 7 digits. One-letter types use a space (D 1234567). Two-letter types do not (MB1234567).
  • FDACS describes this search as checking whether a person is licensed or has applied for a license, so read the license status and dates on the record, not just the name.
  • Agencies and schools have their own search, linked from the FDACS page.

Georgia

Employee registration and weapon permit

Issued by Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies, Secretary of State

Public search

Open GOALS Licensee Searchgoals.sos.ga.gov

Search by
Choose Individual or Business/Facility, then profession type, license type, license number, first name and last name. The form asks you to complete at least two fields.
Good to know
  • The Board says unarmed security guards are not required to be registered with it, but they must be trained. An unarmed guard may not be in the search at all, so ask for the training certificate instead.
  • Some older pages still point to verify.sos.ga.gov. When we checked, its profession list showed cemeteries, charities and securities only, so use GOALS.
  • Registrations and weapon permits all expire August 31 of odd-numbered years, so an August 31, 2027 date is normal.

Illinois

Permanent Employee Registration Card (PERC)

Issued by Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR)

Public search

Open IDFPR's license check pageidfpr.illinois.gov

Go straight to the search formHosted at online-dfpr.micropact.com, the vendor that runs IDFPR's license system. The IDFPR page links to it.

Search by
The form offers license type, license status, license number, first and last name, legal business name, city, state, county and ZIP, and asks you to complete a CAPTCHA.
Good to know
  • IDFPR says a new license can take up to 24 hours to appear in the lookup, and single lookups update daily.
  • State law lets an employer keep a copy of the IDFPR License Lookup page showing the PERC in the employee file in place of a copy of the card (225 ILCS 447/35-30).
  • IDFPR also offers a bulk lookup through the state data portal for checking many people at once. It updates weekly.

Maryland

Security guard certification

Issued by Maryland State Police, Licensing Division

No public search found

Open the MDSP security guard pagemdsp.maryland.gov

Public search
We did not find a public search for individual guards on the MDSP site.
Good to know
  • MDSP says a guard can see the current application or certification status by logging into their own Licensing Portal account.
  • Ask the guard to show that status along with the card, and keep the certification expiration date on your own tracking list.

Nevada

Registered employee work card

Issued by Nevada Private Investigators Licensing Board (PILB)

Public search

Open the PILB public searchpilbonbaseweb.nv.gov

PILB public access page

Search by
License, work card or CFI number, last name, first name, or company name, in any combination. Choose License Verification or Document Search as the search type.
Good to know
  • Use an asterisk to broaden a search. Type the first 3 letters of the first and last name followed by asterisks, such as Joh* Smi*. License numbers work the same way.
  • The page is titled Verify a License, Work Card or Certified Firearm Instructor, so the same search covers work cards and licenses.

New Jersey

Security Officer Certification (SORA)

Issued by New Jersey State Police, Private Detective Unit

Public search

Open NJSP eVerify SORAeagency.njsp.org

Search by
Choose Agency, Officer or Agency Owner. For an officer, enter the first and last name plus either the officer's SBI number or date of birth. NJSP says to use the exact spelling of names.
Good to know
  • The officer search needs an SBI number or date of birth, so get one of them from the officer or the application file before you search. We did not run a search, so read the status and dates on the result.
  • NJSP emails renewal reminders to the address on the officer's own profile and tells officers to use a personal email, so the employer may not see them. Keep the expiration date yourself.
  • Ask the officer for the certification card and its date. Unarmed certifications last two years and armed ones last one year.
Where we checked
NJSP SORA page (the Validate Agency or Officer link) · NJSP SORA FAQ · Renewal period for New Jersey · CertsDue New Jersey guide

New York

Security guard registration

Issued by New York Department of State, Division of Licensing Services

Public search

Open the DOS Licensee Searchdos.ny.gov

Online Security Guard Registry (employer login)Employers only. Needs the eleven-digit employer UID that DOS issued.

Search by
By ID number (unique ID or registration number), by name (last name, first name, and optionally city, ZIP or county), or by business name. Choose Security Guard as the license type.
Good to know
  • The public search shows active licenses only, so a guard whose registration has expired will not appear.
  • Employers also have the Online Security Guard Registry. You log in with your employer unique ID, enter the hire's Social Security number, and get a registration status, an ok-to-hire determination and a transaction number. It runs 6:00am to 7:30pm Monday to Friday.
  • DOS advises printing the registry's transaction summary and keeping it as proof of due diligence under 19 NYCRR §174.6.

North Carolina

Unarmed guard registration card

Issued by North Carolina Private Protective Services Board

No public search found

Open the Board's pagewww.dac.nc.gov

Public search
We did not find a public search for individual guard registrations. The licensing page's link to a list of active licensees no longer works.
Good to know
  • Unarmed registration cards and armed firearm registration permits expire one year after they are issued (G.S. 74C-11 and 74C-13), so a card more than a year old is out of date.
  • Ask the guard to show the card, and contact the Board if you need confirmation of current status.

Oklahoma

Security guard license

Issued by Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET)

Public search

Open CLEET's portal links pageoklahoma.gov

Go straight to the registryHosted at cleet.us.thentiacloud.net, CLEET's portal vendor. CLEET's page links to it.

Search by
In the public registry, search individuals by first name, last name, profession, services or city. You can show only licensees with discipline notices, or only suspended ones.
Good to know
  • On CLEET's page, find the Registry link under Complaints & Registry.
  • A renewal application can be used only for a license that has not expired or has been expired 30 days or less. After that the guard must apply for a new license.

Oregon

Private security professional certification

Issued by Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST)

Public search

Open DPSST's I.R.I.S. pagewww.oregon.gov

Go straight to I.R.I.S. employee searchHosted at bpl-orsnapshot.net, the vendor that runs I.R.I.S. The DPSST page links to it.

Entity license search (companies)

Search by
Employee name (last name, first name) or the DPSST private security identification number.
Good to know
  • DPSST updates the records nightly.
  • A status of Expired can also appear when the guard has submitted renewal or upgrade paperwork, because DPSST expires the old credential while it processes the new one. Confirm before treating it as a lapse.
  • The record can also show training, employment history and certification details. Companies have a separate entity license search.

Tennessee

Armed or unarmed security guard registration

Issued by Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance, Private Protective Services

Public search

Open Tennessee Verify Public Searchverify.tn.gov

Search by
The state says you can search any individual or company to see whether they hold a valid state license. The search page did not show its fields to us, so use the tool's own filters.
Good to know
  • The address redirects to search.cloud.commerce.tn.gov, the Department of Commerce & Insurance's own search site.
  • Registrations renew every two years and have a 90-day grace period after expiration, so read the status and expiration date on the record.

Texas

Security officer license or commission

Issued by Texas Department of Public Safety, Private Security Program

Public search

Open the TOPS licensee searchtops.portal.texas.gov

Search by
Pick Individuals, Businesses or Training, then search. To narrow a long list, add the registration number, first name, state, ZIP or license type.
Good to know
  • If a search returns nothing, add an asterisk to a partial name, such as York*. DPS suggests this on the page.
  • Unarmed licenses share one expiration date and armed licenses share another, so a guard with both can show two different dates. Check each.

Virginia

Unarmed security officer registration

Issued by Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS)

Public search

Open the DCJS verification toolwww.dcjs.virginia.gov

Search by
For individuals, enter a name, DCJS number or credential number. For businesses and training schools, enter a business name, DCJS number, credential number or ZIP code.
Good to know
  • DCJS says the tool returns only the most recent credential, and temporary credentials are not yet supported.
  • DCJS lets an unarmed officer work up to 90 consecutive days while completing the required training, so a brand-new hire may not show a full registration yet.

Washington

Security guard license

Issued by Washington State Department of Licensing

Public search

Open DOL's license lookupprofessions.dol.wa.gov

DOL: Look up the status of a license

Search by
Name, license number, type of license, or location. DOL warns that some professional licenses do not list a street address, so a location-only search can miss them.
Good to know
  • The record shows whether DOL has issued a license, whether it is active, and when it expires.
  • DOL says temporary registration cards cannot be used for guards with expired licenses. Check the expiration date, not just the card.

How to check a guard's license

A lookup takes a minute, but only if you start from the right record. These steps work in every state listed above.

  1. Start from the card, not a photocopy.Ask for the full legal name and the license or registration number printed on the card. Arizona's Department of Public Safety says a photocopy, or the ID card itself, is not proof that a registration is currently valid.
  2. Open the state's own lookup.Use the buttons above. A third-party license search site is not the regulator's record.
  3. Search by number when you have it.A number returns one record. For a name, try a partial name with an asterisk where the tool allows it. Texas and Nevada both describe asterisk searches.
  4. Read the status and the date, not just the name.Confirm that the status is active, when it expires, and whether the credential is armed or unarmed.
  5. Save the result.Print or save the page with the date you checked. Illinois law and New York's Department of State both treat a printed result as a usable record.
  6. Put the expiration date on your tracking list.A lookup is a snapshot. Our free tracking spreadsheet and training matrix turn those dates into a list you can sort and review.

What a lookup does not tell you

It shows the state's record for a name or number. It does not show that the person holding the card is the person in the record, so match the card to a photo ID. It also says nothing about training your client requires or a contract's own rules. For how often each state's license renews, see security guard license renewal by state.

Verified once. Watched from then on.

A lookup answers today's question. The next question is who needs to renew before their next shift. CertsDue is a small tracker for that: import your roster, see who is expired or expiring within 30, 60, or 90 days, and get email reminders before a card lapses. See Early Access pricing.

Launches October 19, 2026. Founding Members get 50% off for 3 months, then 20% off for life.

Questions

Something else? Email hello@certsdue.com and the CertsDue team will reply.

Is there one national database for checking a security guard's license?

No. Each state's regulator issues and records its own security guard licenses, so each state has its own lookup. This page links to the official lookup for 16 states and says where we found no public search.

Does CertsDue run these searches or store what I look up?

No. This page is static. The buttons open each state's own website, and nothing you pick here is sent to CertsDue or any other server. Searching happens on the state's site under that site's own rules.

What should I do if the guard does not show up in the search?

Check the spelling and try a partial name with an asterisk where the tool allows it. Then consider the state's rules. New York's public search shows active licenses only. Georgia does not require unarmed guards to register with the Board. Illinois says a new license can take up to 24 hours to appear. In Maryland and North Carolina we found no public search, so ask the guard for the card and confirm with the agency.

Is a printout of the lookup result enough for my records?

It depends on the state. Illinois law allows a copy of the IDFPR License Lookup page showing the card in place of a copy of the card itself in the employee file. New York's Department of State advises employers to print the Online Security Guard Registry transaction summary as proof of due diligence. Ask your regulator what it expects in other states.

Why does a lookup show a license that looks expired when the guard just renewed?

Some records lag a renewal. Oregon's DPSST says a status of Expired can appear while renewal or upgrade paperwork is processed. California lets a guard keep working after BSIS renews a registration but before the new card arrives. If the dates look wrong, ask the guard for proof of the renewal and confirm with the agency.

How do I keep track of license dates after I verify them?

A lookup is a snapshot, so put the expiration date on a list you review every week. The free certification tracking spreadsheet colors expired, 30-day and 90-day dates, and the renewal period by state page shows how often each state's license renews. Get the free tracking spreadsheet.